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Monday, May 18, 2009

GIVEAWAY and New Work!

Hi Everyone! My goodness, those two weeks went by quick! I'd love to say that I feel all pulled together now, but I see clearly that it would take more then a mere two week blog break to do that. I now think it would take a full time maid, cook, accountant, masseuse and pool boy to do that. (And the funny thing is I don't even have a pool!) But I am feeling a wee bit more on track and I'm am happy to be back! I am kicking things off with a look at some new work and a GIVEAWAY! (And who doesn't love a giveaway!) We'll start things off with the new work:

This is Petula. She is part of a series of 10 small stitched, painted and stuffed works based on those little school photos we have all had.

Here's a little bit about her...

PETULA - (Latin for "Searcher"):

Gentle and soft spoken.Reads Aristotle and Plato.Wants to study art and philosophy.Worries about ant hills flooding in the rain.

Petula is available in my shop, along with a few others that I've listed. There's more to come and I'll be listing the rest soon, and sharing all from this series over the next several posts, but right now I am anxious to let you all know about the GIVEAWAY!!!!

The kind folks over at Lark Books have offered one of my blog readers a free copy of their new Quilts, BABY! book! Yippee!!

As I have said before this is a fabulous book to have for anyone who likes to sew. Even if I weren't in it, (but I am so happy that I am!) I'd still want a copy because it is filled with such talented artists, many of whom you will recognize, and the projects are all wonderfully creative and would be great whether you have a baby in your life or not! All you have to do is leave a comment, and just for fun you can tell me what your most cherished childhood possession was. (Mine was a stuffed pink and white bunny, which I still have and still cherish!) The giveaway will be open all week. One comment per person please! (And make sure I have a way of contacting you!) I will be randomly picking a winner Sunday night and posting who the lucky duck is next Monday morning. Good Luck!

106 comments:

Yay! I'm first (I think).When I went on holidays with my folks aged 7, I made a little friend called Bree. She had a stuffed dog that she loved and we became instant best friends.When we left the holiday, I felt really sad to leave Bree but my mum spied another one of those dogs (EXACTLY THE SAME!) and bought it for me.I named it Bree and I still have it although it has lost some of its stuffing.Bree lives in my son's bookshelf and watches over him everyday.

Hmmm... as far as a childhood possession goes, my memory is not so great in that area. But I do remember this one doll that I had received that was about 2 feet tall. When you held it's hand you could walk with it. It would actually put one foot in front of the other. Pretty cool!

Victoria you amaze me with your endless talents and versatility! Petula is just adorable, I can't wait to see her classmates.

My most memorable childhood possession was my Barbie trunk full of fabulous gorgeous Barbie clothes that my dear grandmother made for me. She was a frequent shopper of remnant tables and would order scrap bags of trim from the Wright company. How exciting when a new one came by mail!

She inspired me to be creative and was without a doubt the single most influential person in my life. Deep sigh.

My most cherished possession as a child? Probably my blanket. It was nothing fancy, just a receiving blanket with satin binding. But I destroyed that thing. The binding was so gross because I sucked on it.

My most precious childhood item was/is a stuffed monkey made of real fur. I'm horrified now to think of what poor animal gave its skin for my enjoyment, but I gave it all the love in my young heart; it was my constant companion for years.

Hmm, Petula looks like a cheerleader, lol. Regardless, I love her. My most precious memory was of a yellow and black monkey with a banana in his hand. I was elated to find his identical twin brother at rummage sale in Tyler! Now, what are the odds? Ahh, yes, he now lives with me.....wahoo!I would love to be in your giveaway, great looking book. Thanks, Elaine from Texas

OK, I had a blanket named blankie blankie. I loved that balnket. It was so tattered and filled with holes from being drug through the house. My mom threw it away one day and that ended my relationship with Blankie blankie. Or did it? Now I have about 70 quilts in my house...maybe I am trying to recreate my lovely blankie. Who can say?

I make a lot of baby quilts so I would love to have this book. The only childhood possession I can remember was a faux Barbie doll. We didn't have much in the way of toys - too many mouths to feed. I didn't find out until I was in my 40's that it wasn't a real Barbie doll - my parent couldn't afford the real thing. My mom use to make lots clothes for her. Then one day my mom thought my sister and I were too old for dolls and gave them away! I was not happy. I must have been about 10. I guess that is why I kept so many of my son's toys! paltier at rkps-aps dot com.

Welcome back, my friend! It sure is good to see Petula and hear from you. I can absolutely relate to your poolboy. I could use one of those myself. Petula is a delightful little thing, just looking at her makes me smile. Well done (as always)! Happy sewing!

I loved my Malibu Barbie and the orange van I got for Christmas one year. Played with that thing forever. (It might have been a Good Times van.)

I don't have any of my toys from childhood except one doll. She is fragile and I did love her. My mom got rid of everything else. She wasn't "mean", she just didn't keep anything. I, on the other hand, have an attic full of my children's toys. They are in their 20s now so one day we'll have a blast going through them. Thanks for this giveaway. I would love a copy of this book.Dawn

The one childhood favorite I can remember is my Sparkle Plenty doll. Sparkle Plenty was the daughter of B.O.Plenty and Gravel Gerty [all characters from the Dick Tracy comic strip]Sad to say, Sparkle Plenty was demolished by to two of my younger brothers. . . but Sparkle Plenty lives on in my memory.Each of your doll creations possessvery distinct personality traits. Personality traits that give us pause . . . . .Your blog gives each time I visit.Thanks

Oh Victoria, I'm so glad that you're back. Those two weeks felt longer without you! Petula is so wonderful; her eyes do convey the meaning of her name, I think.

I'm struggling with your question about my most prized childhood possession. I grew up in such poverty that I didn't have much in the way of posessions. BUT we went to the library every week, and I got to check out as many books as my arms could hold! When I read books I felt rich because I got to experience the world in such an adventurous way. And we also read together as a family a lot. While my Mom read out loud, my Brother and I would sit, rapt. Those were good times! My local library is still important to me, so if I could call a library a "posession" I would say that it was probably my most cherished as a child.

My most cherished possession was either my teddy bear (Smokey, of course) whose pelt is worn to the nubbins, whose ears have holes in them, and whose foam stuffing continues to escape, or my Thumbelina doll. My mother said she (Thumbelina) used to wriggle when you wound her up, but I dont' have any memory of her "winder" being intact, just the hole in her back where it should be. Her foam stuffing also spills out the tear where her leg attaches.

Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane, it's been years since I've thought about them!

Petula is adorable, and I love that she "worries about ant hills flooding in the rain."

I still have my teddy bear from my child hood. He's a bare bear in patches where his fuzz has worn off, and his eyes have been re-glued too. From which you can probably ascertain that he is also a rather ancient bear, from the dark days before everything was made "child safe." Yes, a rather aged bear indeed.

Petula is so fabulous, and I love her name, too! That book is on my wish list - would love to win a copy! My favorite childhood item? My doll, for sure. She had a hard plastic head and a soft body, and I called her Nancy. I still have her...

My favorite childhood possession? That's easy. A feather pillow that was made by my Grandma using chicken feather's from her parents' farm. I still sleep with it now, but don't use it as a pillow. It's gets sort of cold and I just like wrapping my arms around it! My husband is always trying to steal it from me as he knows how much I love it.

hello! welcome back. I love your new pieces and especially the stories that go with them. My most treasured childhood possession was a doll my mum knitted for me, she was called barbie but was the total opposite of the plastic variety: )

Petunia is wonderful. I love her name too.... I was not really attached to any particular item but my daughter has a pink bunny she called Doodie and she went to college with her and sits on her book shelf.

I love the book and congrats. I am still having issues with the computer but it is going in today.

My favourite childhood possession would have to be my kitten. I saw her in a pet shop window and never thought that my mother would buy her for me. Unfortunately I named her Pussy. We yelled that name around the neighbourhood at evening time for around a decade after that. Lovely.

Wow! This is a really hard question to answer.... I guess I'd have to say my favorite childhood toy was a Betsy McCall doll, somehow she got crushed and I cried and cried until my Dad repaired her with some special kind of glue and.... I still have her some 40+ years later.Peggyart19552001@yahoo.com

Hi Victoria! Welcome back!!! I love Petula and can't wait to see more of her friends! And what a lovely giveaway to celebrate your return. I had a few cherished childhood possessions so will have to narrow down my fave and get back to you tonight. I'm at work now and my head is all over the place, but wanted to quickly pop in to welcome you back and say hi :) Back later! xo

Oh yes, I would love a copy! And my fav thing was a wonderfully soft cotton corduroy (tiny wales)pillow in the shape of a watermelon. My sister (5 yrs older) had it first, then I had it, then my son and daughter loved it (26 and 23 now) and it simply shreded. It is only a flat (feather) bag with no corduroy left. I will make a new one for the first grandbaby, and it will be the same pillow in spirit!

I've been wanting that book!! My favorite toy was a stuffed bear called Polar Bear. When his eyes fell out, I knit little blue circles and sewed them on. He survived a catastrophic house fire when I was in 2nd grade and I still have him. His fur is gone but he still has his blue eyes.

I keep seeing this book posted around blog-land... I need to take a peek at a copy!

My most cherished childhood memento is my stuffed Shamu. My grandmother took me to SeaWorld in Ohio sometime in the mid 70's. That Shamu has made it through many moves, teenage years, college, marriage, and now resides in my daughter's room. I love catching a glimpse of him when I walk in her room. Its almost as if a part of my grandmother is watching over my little one.

My most cherished childhood possession would have to be my first sewing machine. It was given to me by my Grandma Mary when I was 12. It was a 1922 White that was operated by your knee instead of a foot pedal. I sewed my first quilt on it. 27 years later I still have it though I don't sew with it anymore. I can't imagine parting with it.

I will have to say my Barbies were my favorite. I built them furniture, made them a house, sewed them clothes and even made them jewelry. They sure kept me busy...I bet my Mom liked my Barbies too!I enjoy your creations dear! Thanks for sharing, Denise

My most treasured childhood possession was the panda given to me as a babe, which my mother gave away to the missions a few years later when she had a tidy up (but didn't give away my brothers teddies!!).

I gave her the guilt's for years afterwards until she finally gave me another panda - which is very treasured as well.

WHAT a giveaway of this amazing looking book featuring YOUR work.COunt me IN.My most treasured possession was White Ted he is living in the UK at the moment - I might have to get him to come out - he will have to be accompanied and not mailed out because there is a chance he could get lost.

Oh gosh, this is the 3rd time I've popped in here. Sorry. I hope I don't mess up your draw! I think my fave childhood possession was a dinky Bugs Bunny plastic toy camera. It took the best pics. Wish I still had it. I had other things that I treasured but that one seems to stand out because it went along everywhere with me when I was a kid.

Oh my, childhood is so very long ago, I can't really remember. I was not that interested in dolls - I loved paper, pencils and crayons. I do remember having a Davy Crocket doll and another girl doll I named Anita. Designing clothes for her is what I did. I would really love a chance to win the book. I now make dolls to give away.

hi!!your dolls are simply gorgeous!!!so beautiful!!About the giveaway,count me in, please!!I realy loved to win this book!!My favorite toy was a stuffed doll, in white :)), which as you can guess, was never white,because it always went with me! the whole hand:)))hugs Isabel

Thanks for your lovely blog and generous giveaway (which I hope to win!) My treasured childhood possession is my Nancy paperdoll, which I still have. I used to have Slugo, too, but I remember cutting his head off with scissors when I was in elementary school (lol). What would Freud say!?!

Your dolls are fantastic! I look forward to seeing them all on your blog. I loved my dolls as a little girl (they even led to my career), but my favorites were 2 yellow blankets, one fuzzy w/ a satin binding, and one satiny and quilted with an appliqued white plush bunny. They are both safely stored in a closet now (one in 3 pieces!)

I love Henry, Matilda and Petula. Wonderful names and characters! Great series!

My favourite childhood possession was a box of Caran d’ache coloured pencils and a sketchbook. A present from my grandparents who taught me how to use the pencils with water to make a kind of watercolour drawings. My grandparents were both very creative spirits and I owe them a lot.

My childhood treasure is a Dutch Doll baby quilt made by my aunt's mother-in-law. I never understood the reason someone would make a quilt for child that they had never met, until the quilting bug got ahold of me! Congrats on the book, and I'd love a chance to win the book of quilt inspiration. Who knows, maybe I'll pass on this family heritage of quilts for kids we don't know!

Love this book! Congratulations. You are really jogging my middle-ish aged memory here...most cherished....hmmm....I think my Canadian silver doller encased on clear resin. It was a paperweight given to me on my Christening by my great-grandmother. I loved looking at that perfect, shiny coin floating in the middle of the clear cube. I have no idea where it is now....

I just realized that I didn't mention my favorite toy, but when I looked back through the comments, I didn't see mine so I'm going to comment again - Victoria, please forgive me if I'm in here twice.

My favorite toy was a brown Pound Puppy. I don't know why or how this began, but I slept with it under my neck, like a pillow, for years. On a cross-country adventure when I was 11, I accidentaly left it at the house of some friends we had visited, and I cried and cried until my parents turned around the car and drove back to get it.

Your little dolls are adorable. Gosh, I would have to say my Barbie doll, and I still have her. I also have my Mary Poppins doll. She came out with the Movie was released back in the sixties.I have seen a few pictures of the quilts featured in this book and they are beautiful. So much talent and inspiration.

HI there! I love your blog, just found you from your comment over on my Olliekate blog. Thanks! And I love Lark Books, there offices are just a few miles from my house. The book looks great, I would love to win it.Reaching back to childhood memories, I would have to pick my stuffed animals. I had loads of them and I remember taking such good care of them all. My little girl still plays with some of my dolls!

Oh, I love Henry, Petula and Matilda!My cherished toy was a rabbit too, 'Mrs Rabbit". She has fuzzy yellow fur, a red gingham dress and my mum knitted her a red cardi and a hat with ear holes. The hat is long gone, the cardi has a couple of moth holes and her dress is a little tatty where one of our dogs had a friendly chew but Mrs Rabbit lives on, she takes it easy these days though and sits on a shelf in my sewing room, just keeping an eye on things. Thanks for the chance to win this great book! Good luck everyone xxx

I love to make baby quilts, quilts for my toddler grand children and I've been working on a large Queen size quilt for about four years, off and on, for my master bedroom, but I rarely use a quilt pattern, they're all free-hand.

My favorite (most cherished) possession as a child, was a stuffed monkey with very little hair left on him. I think he was a baby shower gift and I kept him close by for about 14 years, until his head popped off:)

Mine is definitely my teddy bear, Jessica! She is the most precious thing I own, I have had her my whole life because she was my Mum's most precious childhood toy... the only present that her father ever picked for her, and cherished for that reason alone!

Please enter me in for your lovely book giveaway!I'm pushing into my late thirties so can't even remember the name of the teddy I loved as a child that only had one eye! Probably because the name changed weekly!!!aneela.h@live.co.uk

My most cherished childhood possession is a doll my Mom made to look just like me. I feel lucky when my daughter sleeps with me because she brings that doll to bed too. Even better to hold both of my dolls. Now I need my Mom to live closer to me. Blessings, Stefanie Hartman fhartman@frontiernet.net

I had a pink bean bag doll named Baby Beans. I got her for my 3rd Christmas. I chewed on her hands, bit a small hole in her foot, and for some strange reason bit place on her cheek. I still have her. You can see my tiny teeth marks on her.

I had a few very cherished toys.. I had a beautiful Barbi named Lilly.. She was my favorite and noone was allowed to play with her but me, of course. I've lost her, though :( I moved states away and she was somehow left behind with a few other childhood memories. My replacement Barbie is my daughter, Lilly. Yes, I named my daughter after my favortie Barbie, and she lets me dress her and play with her hair just the same. I am still on the search for this Barbie (vintage)..I'd love to find the same model.. (Beach Barbie of some sort)

The book looks great i would love to win it, i am surrounded by babies and preggie mum friends.

I don't think i had one particular childhood treasure, but i still have "Rosie" a clown doll (75cm's ish) my mother made for me as child. She has a hat and lace up shoes, wolley hair and a great pair of red overalls. Lovely details and is still in pretty good condition considering she is nearly 30 years old!! I hope i can make something just treasured and lasting for my daughters.

I loved this big red stuffed brontosaurus I had when I was little. Her name was Alice, and I always made everyone in my family give her kisses (which I'm pretty sure they found annoying after a few days...). I still have Alice at my parents' house!

Ooh, I am right in the middle of my very first quilt and it's a baby one! It's so fun, I can't think why I haven't done this before. I've been sort of making it up as I go along - a book would be great!My most treasured childhood object was a stuffed bunny that my mother made for me, named Wiggy (why? who knows? Ask 2-year old me!)

I'd love a copy of this book!My prized childhood posession was probably my stuffed dog Fred...he fit just so between my neck and my arms when I snuggled into bed at night and I couldnt sleep without him for years!

Wow! I stumbled across your comment on Red Yarn and am glad I did...you have a great blog and I'm really interested in your book--right up my alley! Let's see...favorite childhood posession was my journal. I wrote everything in it, and was to embarrased to ever share a word of it to anyone or even reread it at times.

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